Welcome to CLIWAT - a transnational project in the North Sea Region

Adapting to a more extreme future climate

Climate change simulations indicate that rainfall will increase in the North Sea region, however with significant seasonal variations. This will lead to higher groundwater levels (up to one meter), higher flux to rivers/coastal waters and a forced outwash of nutrients and pollutants from industrial areas, agriculture and landfills. Conditions for the design of roads, buildings etc. will change.

This CLIWAT homepage has the intention to disseminate information and results from the Interreg IV CLIWAT Project (September 2008-September 2011) to policy makers, water managers, stakeholders, researchers, and the public, in order to communicate results of the project and suggestions for how to deal with these new challenges and rapid changes. Also this homepage will communicate our lessons learned from investigating which areas in the Northsea region, where there is a need for new legislation or new standards for engineering of drainage, building of roads and buildings.

The project will focus on determining the effects of climate change on groundwater systems and through this on surface water and water supply. Furthermore, challenges and solutions for engineering design of buildings, roads etc. will be elaborated. Assessments of forced leaching from point sources and agricultural sources into the hydrological system to rivers and lakes are also focus areas of the CLIWAT project.

Download CLIWAT project folder: cliwat.eu/xpdf/cliwat_flyer.pdf

Partners: Geological Survey of the Netherlands-Deltares/NL, VITENS/NL, Provincie Fryslan/NL, Wetterskip Frysland/NL, Ghent University/B, LIAG/Germany, BGR/D, LANU/D, Seecon/D, Region Syddanmark/DK, Environment Centre Aarhus/DK, Environment Centre Ribe/DK, Aarhus University/DK, Municipality of Horsens/DK and GEUS/DK

Lead Beneficiary: Region Midtjylland, Horsens, Denmark

Total budget 5.500.125 € (of this is 50 % financed by The European Regional Development Fund-ERDF)

Group picture from the first partner meeting in Horsens